Holy is your name, Heavenly Father! We enter your house today longing for your kingdom come.
In this hour of worship, enlighten and inspire us with your Word. Enfold us and embrace us with a mighty vision
that will launch us from this place with your Good News for all people:

eager to share the light of Christ to those in darkness and despair; empowered to bring the healing of Christ to the hurting and the sick;

ready to bring the peace of Christ to those in conflict and unrest;

prepared to bring the wisdom of Christ to those seeking truth.

In this time of singing, praying, and listening together,

tune our ears and hearts to your will for our lives, for our world.

*Hymn of Praise and Prayer to Christ #130 0 for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Allowing God to Shape Us

Call to ConfessionMark 1:15

“. . . Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ ”

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

Christ our Lord, we pray for confidence to share your Word with others and for the opportunity to proclaim it. Forgive our reluctance, our timidity, to reach out. We pray for wisdom to know what should be said and the moment in which to say it. We pray for knowledge of the fullness of your grace and for strength to live it out visibly in our actions and in our witness to you. Forgive our willful and blissful ignorance of the roles you have assigned to us in furthering your kingdom. Become for us the center of all we are, the light by which we walk, the divine blessing you have called us to bring to others. In your name alone we ask. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon (Responsive) Based on Isaiah 44:21-23

“Remember these things,” says the Lord. “You are my servants; I have made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me; sing for joy and shout aloud, for I have redeemed you.” Hallelujah! Thanks be to God!

Coming before God’s Open Word

Children’s Message and Prayer of Blessing (Unison)

Lord Jesus, may the hearts of our children be filled with your eternal presence. May they be your light in this world, testifying without shame to your truth, and attracting many to the good news of your gifts of salvation and eternal life through your sacrifice on the cross. Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

Scripture ReadingLuke 10:1-24 (p. 734)

Message "Reaching Out"

Prayer of Blessing

Celebrating God, His Abundance, and His Care

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise. Glory to you for ever and ever. At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home. By your will they were created and have their being. From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. You made us the rulers of creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another. Have mercy, Lord, for we are sinners in your sight.

Again and again, you called us to return. Through prophets and sages you revealed your righteous Law. And in the fullness of time you sent your only Son, born of a woman, to fulfill your Law, to open for us the way of freedom and peace. By his blood, he reconciled us. By his wounds, we are healed. With your whole Church on earth and with all the company of heaven we worship and adore your glorious name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest!

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

In the joy of his resurrection and in expectation of his coming again, we offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices. Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:

Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

Sanctify us by your Holy Spirit that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.

And as this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills into one cup, grant, O Lord, that your whole Church may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

COMMUNION

The Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me.”

After the same manner also, he took the cup when they had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ.

Offering/Offertory Trio Louis-Nicolas Clerambault

“When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word, what a glory he sheds on our way.”

*Doxology #809 Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below.

Holy God, we offer these gifts to be used to preach the truth of salvation and righteousness through Christ Jesus your Son; to proclaim his promise of renewal of mind, body, and spirit; and to make known the blessings that await those who believe in his message of love and life eternal. Amen.

Prayer Requests, Pastoral Prayer, and The Lord’s Prayer

*Hymn of Affirmation #733 (Verses 1, 2, and 4) We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

*Benediction, Blessing, and Response Hymn My Friends May You Grow in Grace

My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.

My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, amen. (2x)

Postlude Grand plein jeu and Fugue Louis-Nicolas Clerambault

TODAY is Communion Sunday, which has been designated for the presentation of gifts, over and above regular giving, to the Benevolent Fund. Please support this important ministry which provides assistanceto needy church family and community members.

Donations for Easter lilies to decorate our pulpit area are now being accepted, and are greatly appreciated. Contributions may be placed directly in the offering plate clearly marked for this purpose.

~ CONCERTS IN THE VILLAGE PERFORMS HAYDN AND CHERUBINI ~

AN EXCITING CONCLUSION TO THE 2016-2017 SEASON TODAY AT KRC

At 3:00 p.m. today Concerts in the Village offers its 21st performance at KRC and concludes its 7th season of music-making. And a grand event it will be, with over 65 singers and instrumentalists performing works of Haydn and Cherubini. We open with Haydn’s spirited Sinfonia Concertante for four solo instruments and orchestra. Our brilliant soloists are all principals of the Broad Street Orchestra. Then follows a remarkable, but rarely offered work of the extraordinary Luigi Cherubini, his Cantata on the Death of Joseph Haydn for orchestra and three singers: Soprano Caroline Dunigan, returning from her well-received CITV debut this past February; tenor Jon Morrell, a consistent favorite of our audiences, and, recently appearing with the Albany Symphony, tenor Olivier Gagnon, now making his CITV debut. Following intermission the Broad Street Chorale offers Cherubini’s moving Requiem in c minor, a glorious work favored by Arturo Toscanini and Ricardo Muti, but long overdue for performance in our region.

KRC and the Girl Scouts served a delicious ham dinner to 129 people at St. Luke's Church on March 28th. A special thank-you goes to our chef, sus-chefs, servers, dishwasher and dryer, and helpers! The KRC Youth Group did a great job as well, helping to clear away the furniture during the clean-up procedure! We all shared wonderful fellowship while serving our Lord!

~LENTEN WEDNESDAY WORSHIP SERIES CONCLUDES THIS COMING WEEK~

The Wednesday Lenten worship series led by Pastor Paige Convis will conclude with the April 5 service to be held at Stuyvesant Reformed Church. A simple soup supper will be served at 6 p.m. followed by Worship from 6:45 – 7:15. In addition to this service, a Communion Worship will be held on Maundy Thursday at 7 p.m. at Muitzeskill, and a Good Friday Worship will be held at 3 p.m. at KRC.

~VALATIE ECUMENICAL FOOD PANTRY EASTER BASKETS~

Easter Food Baskets will be given to families who use the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry and request one. In November, 135 families received Thanksgiving baskets, and we anticipate about the same number of families for Easter. The baskets include food for Easter dinner: ham, potatoes, yams, corn, green beans, pineapple, and brownies. The Pantry buys all food items for the baskets in bulk, and if you would like to help financially with these purchases, checks may be made payable to Kinderhook Reformed Church, with Easter Baskets on the memo line, and dropped in the offering plate. If you prefer, you may make checks out directly to Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry, Inc., with Easter Baskets on the memo line, and mail them to: Jean Norton, 35 Harris Drive, Valatie, NY 12184. The Pantry thanks you in advance for any help you are able to give. All monies or food items left over after the Easter baskets are distributed will be put into the Pantry account or onto the Pantry shelves

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS OUR MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES

Dave and Char Alexander, RCA missionaries, Taiwan;

Alight Pregnancy Center, Hudson

Perry Jones and Capital City Rescue Mission, Albany

Compassion International, KRC-Sponsored Children:

Evelin Chuquinia, 15, Bolivia Giulbert Muguna, 18, Kenya

Alex and Fran Knauss, Trans-World Radio

Maureen Menard, Youth with a Mission

Dick and Carolyn Otterness, RCA missionaries, Hungary

Brian and Bea Post, Wycliffe Bible Translators

Seth and Melissa Rogati, missionaries, Young Life Ministry, St. Thomas

Betty Ann Stedwell, Christar International Mission

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO READ THE THANK-YOU NOTES ON THE MISSIONS BULLETIN BOARD IN THE FELLOWSHIP ROOM FROM SOME OF OUR MISSIONARIES.

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

those who do not know Christ or who are struggling in their faith journey. Pray also that God will provide opportunities for us to witness for Jesus, and give us the courage and winsome words needed to make the most of these opportunities.

Rev. Paige Convis, KRC’s associate pastor, as she fulfills her ministerial duties as full-time pastor to the Muitzeskill and Stuyvesant Reformed Churches.

our state, national, and world leaders, especially President Donald Trump and all of the new government officials now in office, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely.

our military men & women, their families, and friends, that they may know God’s presence, protection, and peace, especially Jason Lansing serving in South Korea.

those who are traveling, especially Pastor Visser and family as they visit with family and friends in South Africa.

others facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: Peggy and Fostera, mother and daughter of Keanya Meyer, experiencing special challenges at this time and in need of prayers for God's healing, reassurance, comfort, and peace. Brianna; Libby Little-Saxton; Cydney Rippel, Carly Rippel, Greg Clause Jr., and others as they face the challenges of a higher level of education or seek a career; Vince Beaudoin; the alarming epidemic of heroin addicts.

Regular updates are needed on the progress or condition of all individuals on our prayer and praise lists, especially those whose names are in bold type. Please forward this information, as well as new praise/prayer requests, to krc@fairpoint.net or call 859-4158.

REMEMBER TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR

Pastor Rudy Visser, our Spirit-filled minister and leader of vision, and for the Christ-centered messages God gives to Pastor each and every Sunday for the spiritual nourishment and growth of our church family

the inspirational ministries of our guest preachers, Perry Jones, Tom McCrossan, John Bowen, and others who lead worship at KRC from time to time.

those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, and those who have sacrificed their well-being and lives for the peace & liberties we enjoy.

new KRC members recently received into fellowship. Please lift them up in your prayers as they join with us in ministry and fellowship.

all those of KRC's family and friends who volunteer their time, talent, and energy so generously and so willingly to the various ministries and programs of our church, and who often do this quietly and selflessly behind-the-scenes with little notice or recognition.

His provision for all of our basic life needs, and the wonderful ways God shows His love to us, especially during difficult times.

KRC volunteers will again be serving at Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany on Saturday, April 22. If you are interested in being part of this ministry, please contact Patti Varga.

CLASSIS ASSESSMENT 2017

Each member’s share of this year’s classis assessment has been set at $88.50 (down 43¢ from last year).
All who are able to do so are encouraged to offer, over and above regular giving, their share of this support.
The full share does not have to be given at one time, but may be given in as many increments as are convenient.
If offered weekly, that’s just $2.33 per week for the remaining weeks (38) in this year. Please clearly
designate all contributions, “Classis Assessment.”

~2017 CLASSIS ASSESSMENT DISTRIBUTION ~

General Synod: $52.23 (Down $1.48 from 2016)

Albany Synod: $30.00 (Up $1 from 2016)

C. G. Classis: $ 6.27 (Up $0.05 from 2016

2017 TOTAL: $88.50 (Down $0.43 from 2016)

~PROPERTY MINISTRY WINDOW PROJECT COMPLETED~

The Property Ministry reports that the windows and screens to enclose the porch at the parsonage have now been installed and have made a really noticeable difference in the temperature and comfort level not only in the kitchen but also in the additional room at the back of the house that abuts the porch. The cost came in at just under $3000.00. Donations toward this project will be most gratefully accepted as we give thanks for another needed improvement that has been completed..